Global warming refers to the rise in average global temperature due to the increased concentration of certain gases, called greenhouse gases, in our atmosphere. Earth¡¯s oceans, because of their high heat capacity, can absorb heat and therefore act to slow down global warming. How much heat would be required to warm Earth¡¯s oceans by 1.0 ¡ãC? Assume that the volume of Earth¡¯s oceans is 137 x ¡¼10¡½^7 ¡¼km¡½^3 and that the density of sea water is 1.03 g/cm3. Also assume that the heat capacity of seawater is the same as that of water.
Marie posted the same kind of question with the same funny symbols but corrected. Look for the response above under chem/math by Marie.
To calculate the amount of heat required to warm Earth's oceans by 1.0 °C, we can use the formula:
Q = m × c × ΔT
Where:
Q is the heat energy in joules
m is the mass of the substance in grams
c is the specific heat capacity of the substance in J/g°C
ΔT is the change in temperature in °C
Given the volume of Earth's oceans (137 x 10^7 km³), we need to convert it to liters (cm³) and then to grams using the density of sea water.
Volume of Earth's oceans = 137 x 10^7 km³
Density of seawater = 1.03 g/cm³
Therefore, the mass of Earth's oceans is:
m = Volume × Density
m = 137 x 10^7 km³ × (1 km³ = 10^15 cm³) × (1.03 g/cm³)
m = 137 x (10^7 x 10^15) cm³ × 1.03 g/cm³
m = 137 x 10^22 g
Now, we have the mass of Earth's oceans, and we need to calculate the heat required to warm it by 1.0 °C.
ΔT = 1.0 °C
c = specific heat capacity of water = 4.18 J/g°C
Finally, we can calculate the heat energy:
Q = m × c × ΔT
Q = (137 x 10^22 g) × (4.18 J/g°C) × (1.0 °C)
Using these values, we can compute Q to find the amount of heat energy required to warm Earth's oceans by 1.00 °C.